Contemporary Art Auction Values By Country; Peggy Cooper Cafritz Donates; and The Case for Keeping KJM's Knowledge and Wonder in Chicago

We forgot one important point from yesterday’s Q & A about Banksy. The video Banksy posted on Instagram raises even more questions about the prank. Sotheby’s controls access to its sale room by ticketing the event. Yet Banksy’s video suggests more than one confederate is in the audience when the device was triggered. Notice there is a close shot of Oliver Barker hammering the lot. Then, seconds later, there is phone footage of the work of art engaging. Each vantage point is on the opposite side of the sale room.

While we’re at it. Let’s add a few more observations. Artprice just published its report on Contemporary art sales from June 2017 to June 2018. Banksy’s total sales are $9,898,703 for 478 works with an average price of $20,709. Jason Bailey is a self-described art nerd. He usually likes to play with data about art and the market but he comes from a family of mechanically inclined folks. His Artnome post on Banky’s device has been picked up by Boing Boing and Andy Richter. Jason shows us what a real shredder looks like and its not even remotely like what’s shown in Banksy’s video:

• “The device in Banksy’s video shows roughly 38 Exacto® blades lined up inside the frame. While this looks badass, it does not look anything like the mechanism inside of a traditional shredder.”

Bendor Grosvenor went into greater length on his site about the idea behind the act itself and what it could have been had Banksy been interested in making a meaningful work of art rather than plumping up his market:

• “A far better protest would have been to press the button during the auction itself. I'd like to have seen Sotheby's explain that one; an artwork self-destructing while people were actually bidding on it. That would have been much more impressive. But it would also have required a little more authenticity, and balls. Whatever you think of his art, Banksy seems as keen to trouser the cash as anyone. And so the show goes on. Bravo, Banksy.”